


Superheros, Starks, and a Town of Geniuses

by Oboeist3



Category: Eureka, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce being a bit of a troll, F/M, Fanboy Fargo, Gen, M/M, Stark and Stark rivalry hell yea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-07 18:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1909908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oboeist3/pseuds/Oboeist3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adjusting to a new universe isn't easy for Jack Carter and the gang, but they thought they'd figured out most of the differences. Until a unscheduled plane lands on top of GD, and suddenly nothing makes sense again. A town full of super geniuses is bad enough, but in the same universe as superheros? It's a recipe for disaster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which Bruce is worried, Tony is unpredictable, and certain phone calls should have been made

Bruce Banner had been having a normal day. He woke up having almost gotten a healthy eight hours of sleep, a rare occurrence, made himself some tea as he read the paper and munched on some leftovers, and then promptly immersed himself in his lab. The hours had ticked by with their usual pace, practically unnoticed by him as he worked on his theoretical research, checked over Tony's plans for a new model of Iron Man suit, and was generally content. Until JARVIS called him.

"Sir, Mr. Stark has locked himself in his room." came the voice of the AI, jolting him slightly. He took a moment to reflect on those words before sighing. He must be drinking again. A bad day. They were less common now with all of them living together, or at least, he hoped so.

"Drinking I assume." he replied, standing up and stretching slightly to get rid of the stiffness in his back. He always had to be the one to deal with Tony drunk, as he was the only one who could stand him. One of the downsides of being his boyfriend.

"No sir. Mr. Stark has no alcohol in his system." said the AI, and that gave him pause.

"What is he doing then?"

"Watching videos sir."

"What kind of videos?" he said, a smile poking it's way out of the worried expression. If he knew Tony as well as he thought he did, then there wasn't much to worry about. Why JARVIS would tell him this time was rather peculiar though. He was fairly certain Tony didn't like it when his AI told people he was watching porn.

"Videos had no title sir, but were in the folder 'Bastard Stark' and recorded in the range of May 1974 to December 1989. Would you like me to pull them up?" the AI asked, and the smile vanished from the physicist's face.

"No, I think I'll go check on him myself. Will you be able to unlock the door for me?" he said as he left the lab, clicking on the button for the penthouse in the elevator.

"Negative sir. Mr. Stark insisted upon manual locks for the bedroom, stating 'this way you can't ruin my fun.' I do not know to which fun he was referring." stated the AI.

"Yea well I think I do." he said, blushing a little. He had a feeling being walked on by the Captain had truly pushed him to change the locks.

"I'm noting high blood pressure and levels of adrenaline in your system, Dr. Banner."

"I'm aware JARVIS, just leave this to me." he said as the elevator finally came to a stop and he walked out. It took all he had not to run to the door, but he had to be calm about this. Tony was probably in a delicate state of mind, and even if he claimed to hate being treated 'like I'm fucking made of glass', he knew he appreciated it.

"Tony?" he said as he gently knocked on the door. "May I come in?" he asked, fingers curled around the doorknob as he waited for a response.

"Yea, just a sec!" he called out. There was a moment of shuffling and a thump as he bumped into something, followed by curses, but he did unlock and open the door. He thankfully just looked a bit worn out, not crying or hurt, as far as he could tell.

"JARVIS sent you, didn't he. The damn nerve. I told him only to do that if there was reasonable cause my life was in danger." he muttered, and all that coiled up worry eased slightly. If Tony was able to get mad at JARVIS, then he couldn't be so awful.

"Well, I'm glad he sent you anyway. Pack a bag, dear Bruce-y boy. We're going on a trip." he stated, and like most things Tony Stark said, it was not a question.

"Where are we going, exactly?" he asked as Tony went back into his room, grabbing a bag and opening his closet. He knew better than to try resisting him, he'd just give him those big puppy eyes and they'd be on their way.

"Oh, it's a quaint little place in Oregon called Eureka. Lovely really, good scenery, nice fishing, a top secret town of super geniuses, really our kind of place." he said with nonchalance as he threw thousand dollar shirts and jeans into the bag, grabbed his toothbrush and zipped it.

"Beg pardon?" Bruce said, a politer thing than the thought running through his head, something along the lines of 'what the fuck?' At such times, he was quite thankful for his filter, the kind that Tony seemed to lack.

"Long story, involving the Second World War, Albert Einstein, and the DOD. I'll tell you later in full detail. But now, packing. Get to it. Chop chop." he said, clapping his hands as he slid the bag over his shoulder, gave him a kiss on the cheek and breezed past him, calling out orders to JARVIS to prepare his private jet.

One day Bruce would make the billionaire explain his actions fully before dragging him into his schemes, but today was not that day. He returned to his (barely used) bedroom and grabbed his old duffel, still holding his essentials in case he had to abandon it all. He just added some of his less ragged clothes, one of his many tablets, and a few good books. Flying from New York to Oregon took a while, even for Tony Stark.

* * *

 

"Explain." demanded Bruce, sitting across from Tony, who was now sipping at a glass of brandy. They'd been up in the air for about half an hour now, and Bruce had ridden off his displease of takeoff with calming music and breathing exercises. He and the Other Guy may know each other better than they used to, but the fact of the matter was, both hated flying, and airplanes were not the Hulk's kind of place.

"Wow. That was fast. Usually you wait longer than this before questioning my plans. I'm both impressed and displeased." admitted Tony, but the look sent his way made it clear that this was not the time for jokes. Were they on the ground, and him given more warning, he'd be more inclined to wait. But they were not, so he wasn't.

"Eureka is a small town in northern Oregon officially built in 1950. Prior to that it was a military base, where a handful of scientists, including Dr. Trevor Grant and our old friend Einstein, worked on projects that would change the way we understand physics." he said, an admiration that could only be for the man himself in his voice.

"Einstein got the president to give him the land as a safe haven, where scientists of all types could meet and bring about a greater world, or so it goes. However, after his death, it became apparent goodwill wasn't profitable enough. So they compromised. The DOD promised to fund Eureka and give it the best of the best, best schools, best facilities, best scientists. In return, some of that genius would go towards weapons research, in the ominously named 'Section Five.' Global Dynamics, that's the name of the facility, was one of Stark Industries main competitors back in the day. Oh, and all of this is very hush hush." he added, as if an afterthought.

Bruce took a moment to comprehend all of this, a town full of super geniuses wasn't the most unlikely thing he'd ever heard or experienced. Indeed, in a strange, roundabout way, it made sense. It seemed the sort of archaic idealism Einstein would be able to think up, and Steve was any indication, the people of the 40's would jump on it.

"If it's so secret, how do you know about it?" he questioned, eliciting one of the man's infamous shit-eating grins.

"I'm Tony Stark, remember? There isn't a secret in the world SHIELD can keep me from for long." he said, and Bruce was tempted to brush it off as his usual arrogance, but there was a hint of something else that he couldn't place.

"Hmm. And what exactly is the reason for our impromptu visit?" he asked, and there it was again, a hesitation behind the confident words.

"What, a man can't want to visit a town like that? It makes my R&D Candyland look like shit." he said, pouting for a moment at the unfairness of that. "But if you must know....there's family there. Technically in charge, as a matter of fact." he forced out, the word family quite strained. Bruce could get that. His family wasn't exactly keen on him either.

"Hold on. Are you telling me a  _Stark_  is in charge of a town full of super geniuses?" he asked in shock.

"Was in charge." he corrected, and those three words were explanation enough for the moment. It's a strange creature, a Tony in grief, and not one he caught often, but in moments like these he knew it best to leave him be. The same way Tony knew on the days when he could not keep the Other Guy locked up inside him, and would gently guide him to a room built for that purpose, full of calming things on one side and plenty of things to smash on the other.

In that strange seam of knowing, he didn't apologize for his loss, just intertwined their fingers and squeezed tightly. Tony wasn't the kind to talk until he was ready, or until he was forced to, but the latter never ended well. If he wanted to tell him more, he would. Bruce didn't mind waiting.

The rest of the flight was quiet, both of them in their own worlds, Tony in the improvements to his suit, Bruce in a battered copy of 'A Wrinkle in Time.' But he didn't let go of his hand until the pilot announced their arrival. Carefully he dog-eared his page and stuck it back in his beat up duffel, pushing down the slight rumble as the plane touched down with a thump.

"So, you ready?" asked Tony, and there's that infectious spirit in his voice he got whenever they talk about science or anything that fascinated him, which were a great many things. (Nearly dying a number of times tended to give one a wider appreciation of the world.)

"Are you kidding? I'm willing to see anything that can outdo your R&D department." he teased, bumping his shoulder. He saw a quick smile flick over his face, quite unlike those shit-eating grins he gave most of the time. It was one reserved exclusively for Bruce.

"Not for long it won't." he promised, though he held no intent behind it. He may be rich, but he wasn't United-States-military-making-weapons-rich. Not anymore at least. Tony pressed the button to open the door, only to be met with the click of several dozen firearms, and as the door lowered, the appearance of the men holding those firearms.

"Tony?" said Bruce, eyes flashing an unsettling green as he took deep breaths, in and out. Flying was taxing enough, but seeing guns really brought up alarm bells for The Other Guy.

"Yea?" he responded, not unaware of the stress this was causing his boyfriend, and though he had no fear of the Hulk, these guys certainly might.

"Please tell me you at least  _called_  before flying your private jet to a top secret, military-funded town on the other side of the country." he said, his voice exuding calm, but the nails sunk into his palm told another story.

"Uh..."


	2. In which Jo is trigger happy, maple bars are eaten, and Jack just wanted a normal day

"Hey Vince, could you get me a maple bar?" asked Jack Carter, Sheriff of Eureka, as he walked over, practically dripping happiness in his big grin and pleasant tone. Today was a good day, he'd woken up with Allison, Zoe was coming to visit later this week, and it had been three whole days since an incident of some sort at GD.

"Right on it Sheriff." promised the café owner, noting his actions and saving it for rumor mill purposes later. (Though very few things weren't gossip worthy in Eureka.)

"Somebody's happy." came a voice behind him, and he turned to find his best, and only, ex-deputy sitting down next to him.

"What, is that a crime now?" he teased, not losing a bit of his enthusiasm. What could he say? He hadn't had this much peace in years. He would enjoy it while it lasted.

"No, but it's weird seeing you all sunshine and lollipops." replied Jo, wearing her impeccable business suit for her job at GD security. He was sure glad he didn't have to look over those geeks, not directly.

"Hey, I see what you're doing, but it won't work. You think this is all going to come crashing down in a cataclysmic event, but _I_ am going to be an optimist." he proclaimed, earning an eyeroll from Jo.

"Optimism is for fools, ok? The world tends towards disorder, even I know that."

"One maple bar, on the house. As always." said Vince, placing the plate in front of him.

"Thank you Vince." said Jack as he took a bite, and Jo wrinkled her nose because of it. Men had no manners.

"Wat?" he said through his bite. Jo decided to just give up on the matter.

"You know what, you are too stressed from working with those boneheads all day. Everything is going to be fine." he promised, stuffing the rest of the food in front of him in his mouth before his and Jo's phones started beeping.

"Don't speak so soon." she said, her expression going from normal serious to Eureka serious as soon as she saw the flashing words on her screen.

"What's a code 12?" asked Carter, having taken his phone out of his pocket.

"Air raid." she told him before yelling out. "Alright people, everybody down! This is not a drill, I repeat, not a drill! There is an unknown projectile heading towards Eureka." she said, and the occupants of Café Diem were quick to do so. "Carter." she said, and he knew what she wanted him to do.

"Everybody, get inside!" he called as he ran out onto Main Street, and this being Eureka, they didn't even ask why as they ducked inside shops and residences, hoping to avoid whatever GD had inflicted upon them.

Jack kept glancing at the sky as he and Jo corralled the stranglers into Café Diem, seeing nothing but blue sky and the slight shimmering of the EM field. Then he saw a hazy black dot approaching from the south, quickly growing bigger and getting closer until it crashed through the EM field, causing shock waves to go through the air and electricity to curl around the object, clearly distinguishable now.

"Jo...that's not a missile." he said slowly, watching as it slowly went down in altitude, just higher than the buildings of Eureka, coming closer and closer. "It's a plane."

"But that's impossible. Nothing can break through the EM field without authorization. The only person who has that is the director of GD." she stated, and Fargo was currently in Washington for some meeting or other. Just as she said that, the plane flew directly over them, and it was hard to miss the label printed in white on the side. Stark Industries.

Looks were exchanged, shock at first, but then settling into their usual Eureka mode of communication. Now was not the time to lose their mettle.

"I'm sending a team up to GD. Stark or not, that object is unauthorized. Carter, you go get Henry and meet me there."

"Got it." he said, Jo running over to her car and speeding towards the research facility, phone already to ear and barking out orders.

"I just wanted a normal day." he muttered to himself before climbing into his Jeep and driving to their resident Mayor, auto mechanic, and general smart person. But the day wasn't over yet.

* * *

After picking up Henry, who had already seen the plane before it reached the town itself, the sheriff began the drive up to GD, his mind whirring at the implications of those two words. Could Stark really be alive here? He didn't know all the science behind it, but he was pretty sure that death was death, wherever you were.

But if he was alive, what did that mean for them? Sure, the guy was his friend at the end, but he'd died. They'd grieved over him and accepted the fact, and now it could all be for nothing. And Alli...with her husband back from the dead, why would she bother with him? She'd admitted she still loved him, but with him being dead, it hadn't mattered, not like this.

"Jack." said Henry, snapping him out of his thoughts. "It can't be Nathan."

"How do you know?" he asked, only shocked that he knew what he was thinking about for a second. Henry was just the sort of person who knew these things.

"As soon as we got back, I checked information. Nathan died two years ago, though it didn't say how, I think we can assume it was the same way. The time span is such that our ripple didn't effect that."

Jack couldn't help but feel a bit relieved at that fact, even though he knew it was a little bad, but it was quickly replaced by a new fear.

"If it's not Nathan in that plane, Henry, who is it?"

"I don't know." he admitted. "But it's only a matter of time before we find out."

Somehow that didn't inspire a lot of good feelings for him.

* * *

By the time he and Henry had made it to the landing pad on GD, Jo and her team were already in full gear, the muzzles of over fifty guns pointed at the landed plane.

"Don't you think this is a bit overkill?" he asked her, carefully approaching.

"Carter, this thing broke through the EM shield without authorization. As such, it is a threat to GD and the town." she said crisply, in military mode. Jack hated arguing with her in military mode.

"Yea but if they wanted to destroy Eureka, why wait for a reaction? Why not just fly in and...destroy us?" he said, for lack of a better explanation. He didn't know why, but his gut feeling about this thing wasn't evil. Maybe it wasn't the most scientific of methods, but his hunches saved the town a lot more than anyone cared to think about.

"Jack's right, Jo. This isn't a weapon carrier, it's a private jet!" Henry exclaimed, never one for might makes right.

"We'll see about that." she said, and as if on cue, the door started to open. "Alright people, lock and load!" she commanded, getting her own weapon ready with an ominous click.

However, the drama of the moment seemed to be cut short when the group caught sight of the plane's occupants. On one side was a rumpled looking older gentleman, probably in his mid-forties, wearing a purple shirt and brown pants. Wire-rimmed glasses were perched on his nose, and there was a touch of grey in his hair. He seemed mildmannered, the sort to get lost in a crowd. Standing next to him was a younger man, wearing an AC/DC shirt riddled with oil stains and blue jeans on their last legs. However, despite his appearance, he held a confidence in his stance that reminded Jack of celebrities and millionaires.

As Jack observed this, the words of these not so threatening threats echoed through the terse silence.

"Tony?" said the older one, palms clenched into fists.

"Yea?" replied the younger, Tony apparently.

"Please tell me you at least _called_ before flying your private jet to a top secret, military-funded town on the other side of the country."  
  
"Uh..."

"If we make it out of here alive, I am killing you." said the older one, and for an instant Jack swore the eyes went bright green.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy Big Guy. Deep breathes." said Tony, obviously quite worried. The other nodded and did so, eyes closed and fingers slowly unclenching. Jack didn't know who they were or why they were here, but one thing was for certain. They were both off their rockers. It seemed not even invaders of Eureka were sane.

"Alright boys, playtime's over!" called out Jo, priming her weapon and pointing it straight at the two. "Who are you and how did you get here?" she demanded, finger resting on the trigger, making the older man flinch.

"No need to get snappy miss, this is all just a misunderstanding. I'm Tony Stark and this is my associate Dr. Bruce Banner." he said, gesturing to the man in question. Murmurs came from some of the scientists who'd come to see what was happening, who shrank back when Jo gave them a look.

"What, we're back to being associates now?" asked the other, Bruce.

"This is a professional environment." pointed out Tony.

"I didn't know you had a mode for professional environments. I figured you just acted like an ass in everything you do."

"Usually. But there are a lot of guns being pointed at us right now."

"When aren't there?"

"Ah, but these people are dumb enough to actually shoot."

"Yes we are, and unless I get some answers, it's happening right now!" said Jo, not about to be smartassed by this dick. She'd only been in his company a few minutes and she could tell he was one.

"Ok, ok. We got here in my private jet, if you can't tell by the label. I guess I'll have to make it bigger next time. Make note of that Bruce."

"Unbelievable. I'm not JARVIS, Tony."

"You work for me."

"I work _with_ you. And as I recall, you begged me to stay."

"Bribed actually. With an R&D Candyland."

"Which I don't use because my research is theoretical."

"Stay on track people!" snapped Jo, but the finger was no longer resting so heavily on the trigger. Jack didn't blame her. These guys seemed like a married couple more than a security threat.

"Well what else do you want to know?" asked Tony, exasperated. Like he was the one being wronged here.

"I want to know how you got through our EM shield, and what the hell you're doing here."

"Oh that. Nathan gave me access, in the hopes I might visit his freakshow of a town. No offense." he added, and Jo was well on her way towards hating this guy.

Before Jo could either threaten him more or just plain shoot him, he called out. "Oh thank science. Allison! You can explain to this gun wielding maniac I'm not here to cause any harm, right?" he said, causing all eyes to look back at the crowd of scientists, now replaced with the medical director and former head of GD.

"I'm sorry?" she said, confusion obviously written on her face.

"Come on! I know we only met a few times but I'm not that forgettable, am I Bruce?"

"No comment."

"Fine. You want me to say it? I'm Nathan Stark's brother, and I just found out what happened." he said, and suddenly it all clicked into place, the arrogance, the superior attitude. The fact that he flew into Eureka without so much as a call.

Jack looked over at Henry, Jo, and finally Allison, who seemed just as lost as he was.

"I hate this universe." 


	3. In which the Science Bros geek out, catastrophe happens, and things are rather angsty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Graphic descriptions of a panic attack are in this chapter. Also a rather alarming amount of angst, but rest assured all will return to a general sense of lightness for the duration of this fic. It all arose as a consequence of the cataclysmic event that happened in Eureka in this instant, as well as me not wanting to ignore Tony's PTSD from the wormhole incident.

Out of all the things Tony Stark would say to get out of being shot, being related to someone was not something Bruce was honestly expecting. Especially nothing as close as a brother. For one thing, Tony never much acted like anything other than an only child. For another, usually his own name was sufficient threat. Then again, he had a feeling this town was anything but normal.

After Tony's announcement of relation to apparently someone of great interest, the men with guns quickly vanished, leaving only four people behind, two men and two women. All of them seemed just as shocked by this news as Bruce himself, even Allison, the one who Tony had apparently met.

"Phew. Glad we made it out of that one, huh Big Guy?" said Tony, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"Which we could have avoided if you simply called." he pointed out, sending a look his way. He wasn't really good at the whole glaring thing, but living and dating Tony Stark gave you plenty of opportunities to practice.

"Whatever." he dismissed, as he always did when he was wrong but refused to admit it. A non-surprisingly frequent occurrence.

"I'm so sorry about any inconvenience we caused." apologized Bruce to the four, giving one of those sheepish half smiles that apparently made everyone who saw them fall in love with him a little. (Tony wasn't the most unbiased source on the matter.)

"Inconvenience? We had to prepare for an air raid!" snapped the one who had been threatening them previously, and seemed quite reluctant to stop.

"Jo." said the sheriff, his tone harsh and paired with a look that made it clear there were other things to be concerned with. "This is pretty normal for Eureka, actually." he said, letting out a sigh that made Bruce feel bad. Dealing with people like Tony Stark so regularly was tiring, to say the least.

"I'm Jack Carter, Sheriff of Eureka." he said, holding out a hand. "This is our mayor, Dr. Henry Deacon." he said, indicating the African American man in a brown handyman-like jumpsuit.

"Henry is fine." he assured, giving the two a kind smile that made Bruce less wary of him already.

"This is Jo Lupo, head of security at GD." introduced Carter, (Jack didn't seem to fit him), nodding at the woman who had just been threatening them with a plasma gun.

"Jo, eh? That's a pretty name. What's it short for?" asked Tony, his 'playboy mode' out. Bruce told himself he didn't mind, because this was Tony Stark and that was what he did, but he didn't deny the bit of happiness when she replied.

"It's Director Lupo to you."

"And you seem to know Allison?" Carter said, a question in the words.

"Oh, Alli and I go waaay back." said Tony, his voice mirthful. "Only met once in person but what a party! Too bad Nathan had to be there." he said, his voice souring at the end. "But hey, water, bridge." he brushed off, doing a little hand motion.

"The real question is, how much of this place can we see in one day? If my R&D department is Candyland, this is a Candy dimension!" he exclaimed in glee, looking like a child in a sweet shop. Even though Bruce was still annoyed with him, he couldn't help but find it endearing.

"Jo, why don't you take these two on a tour? We'll get all of this sorted out." said Carter, and though Jo seemed reluctant, she consented.

"Fine. If you touch anything, I won't hesitate to shoot." she said to Tony, whose joy was not dampened in the slightest. Bruce just shuffled after them, wondering for all the world why he continued to put up with the billionaire. Must be the mindblowing sex.

* * *

However, as with many things, Tony wasn't wrong about Global Dynamics. It had the best of the best, in everything from animal studies (Section 3) to air defense (Section 7) to it's own super collider, the kind that had both of them with their faces pressed up against the glass with wide-eyed awe.

"I think I'm in love-hate with this place." breathed out Tony, fogging up the glass.

"Yea." he replied. "If I wasn't working for you, I would so get transferred here."

"I thought you worked _with_ me?" he teased, always a bit of an ass.

"Shut up." he said, and he caught a bit of a snicker before the world went dark. It was like flipping off a light, immediate and everywhere, worrying enough to cause the Other Guy to be interested, but as soon as it happened, it was over, the world restored with a crash! The floor shook and caused Bruce to lose his balance, stumbling to his knees and hissing at the scraped up skin.

However, his familiarity with such situations gave him the ability to adjust quickly, his eyes casting around the room, looking for anyone injured or incapacitated. As far as he could tell, they were shaken, but otherwise uninjured. The equipment beeped its angry alarms, demanding the scientists to notice the anomaly that had cracked the glass he and Tony had been pressed against, a whirring, whining sound leaking through the cracks.

"What's the status?" he yelled out, with an authority no one questioned, even though the helium cooling the collider made his voice all high and squeaky.

"Particle velocity is at 0.6C sir, and counting fast!" provided one.

"If we don't slow it down somehow, that fast a collision will destabilize the dampening rings and break the containment field. We could cause a singularity!" said another.

"English, tech boys, english!" said Jo, holding onto her weapon for dear life.

"If we don't stop or keep the collision contained, it could cause the formation of a black hole." translated Bruce, until he felt fingers curl in his shirt and wide eyes looking directly at him with desperation.

"Bruce." Tony breathed out, body trembling, breathes shallow and panic clearly mapped on his face, an all too familiar one.

"Fuck." he said, his brilliant mind reminding him of that awful fall of Tony's, the one the Other Guy had caught him from. The days spent talking about how the darkness was so absolute, the lack of air completely terrifying. Nightmares that awakened him with a gasp and a clawing for something to hold onto, a weapon or a person.

"It's alright Tony, everything is going to be ok. I promise. Try taking breathes like we practiced, ok? In through the nose, out the mouth. In...two...three, out...two...three. I will get you out of here, you will be safe." he said, confirming he was doing so before turning his attention back to the chaos for a moment to look directly at Jo.

"He's having a panic attack, PTSD. I need to get him somewhere quiet, now." She took only a second before spitting out.

"Fargo's office is sound-proof, it should be quiet."

"Good. Help me take him there. We're going to need to stop along the way. I need a cool rag, blankets, and Black Sabbath." he said, turning to the scientists.

"You need to get this thing within normal parameters, ASAP. If there's any sort of failsafe, tested or untested, use it. In the event nothing works, get out as quickly as possible. A collision like that will only make a singularity that can hold itself together for a few seconds, but it can still cause plenty of damage."

"Sir, yes sir!" they said, and immediately his attention was back on Tony. His breathing was still labored, but better than before, and he was shaking so hard Bruce could feel it in his teeth. His expression was distant, no longer here.

"You're doing great Tony, everything's going to be fine. I just need you to walk with me to somewhere safer. Can you do that?"

"Dark. Everything is so dark Bruce, I can't breathe." he gasped out.

"You can breathe. This is Earth, Tony, oxygen aplenty." he said, though there was far more helium here than usual. "You just need to focus, listen to me. Start reciting atomic weight in order, stay with me."

"H-Hydrogen 1.008, Helium 4.002, Lithium 6.94, Beryllium 9.012...." he started counting off, the desperate gasps slowly settling into something more steady, the panic still overwhelming but less so.

"Good Tony, you're doing great. I want us to move somewhere a little quieter. Think you can do that?" He earned a shaky nod. He was so focused on Tony that the rest of the world was just background noise, the shouts, the cry of success as he helped him up and towards the door.

"Lead the way, Ms. Lupo." he said, and they headed off. They had to stop twice along the way, Bruce calming him the first time by having him recite digits of pi, the second time number of times he'd pranked the various Avengers. (Steve: 412. Bruce: 223. Clint: 71. Thor: 304. Natasha: 0. 'I'm not suicidal.' he provided with that one, never one to completely lose his snark.)

By the time they made it to Fargo's office, it seemed the worst of the symptoms had passed, and it was just a matter of riding out the rest of it. He seemed to be more in key with their surroundings, automatically going over to the couch without Bruce having to guide him there. He was taking deeper breaths and the shaking wasn't so violent, but Bruce knew better than to relax. This time was crucial in ensuring he calmed down all the way, rather than it flaring up worse.

"Thank you for guiding us, Ms. Lupo. If you could get the things I requested earlier?"

"Of course. Medical is down the hall if you need it." she supplied as she walked off.

"Thank you." he said, giving her a bit of a smile before going back to Tony-world.

"Hey metal man, how are you feeling?" he asked, sitting down next to him, noting the breathing, the tremors, fingers curled into the fabric until he slid his own between them.

"Not doing so well, Big Guy. Keep thinking I can't breathe, I'm going to die and I won't be able to tell my best friends and I'll never get to know that cute scientist who turns into a giant green rage monster." he admitted, eyes blasted wide open but not seeing much.

"You aren't. You are not going to die. Your name is Tony Stark, you were born on May 29, 1970. At seventeen you graduated from MIT with honors. You are a superhero, Iron Man, part of the Avengers. You are dating the forth smartest person on the planet, that's me by the way."

"Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled." he added, a bit of a smile poking it's way out of the pale expression, shaky but there. That was what mattered.

"Good to know. Anything else you need me to tell you?"

"Yea actually. Have we figured out how Richard's wife turns invisible yet? Cause I could use a little of that right now." Bruce blinked, he forgot how quickly Tony turned to humor in hard times, even while calming down from a panic attack. Perhaps he ought to be used to it at this point. Still, he wasn't going to let the self deprecation go by unnoticed.

"You did fantastic Tony, much better than any other time, and this time we were in the middle of an actual catastrophe."

"When aren't we in an actual catastrophe?" he pointed out.

"But this time I actually could have..." He didn't have the strength to say it aloud. All those other times, other threats had been dangerous, sometimes to the point of impossibility in turning it around. But the Other Guy was always there in case Tony's genius failed, and his brute strength had many downfalls but saving the man he, both of them, loved was not one of them.

"Ahem." came a cough from the doorway, Jo awkwardly perched, holding a stack of blankets, a small basin and towel, and a PDA. "I got the things you requested." Bruce let his fingers slip out of Tony's as he walked over, giving a nod of thanks.

"Allison could use some help in medical. Can you?" she said, peering over at Tony, accessing his condition. Bruce rested a towel on the back of his neck, draping a blanket over his lap. "Whatever happened caused a lot of injuries. No deaths yet." she said, a guilt trip that Bruce still felt the tug of.

"I'm not an MD, technically. My PhD is in Nuclear Physics." Well, his first one. He thought it rude to brag about the other five. Plus, he thought it ill advised to leave Tony at such a time.

"You spent four years treating people in third-world countries. I think that's more than deserving of a PhD." pointed out Tony, giving him a look. "I'll be fine. Like you said, this is Earth. Plenty of oxygen here." he said, flashing him a weak grin.

Bruce was tempted to stay anyway, make sure Tony got back to where he felt completely normal, but there were other people to treat, maybe in worse condition. He didn't want anyone to die if he could have done something.

"I'll look after him." promised Jo, and though she rang military in her look, her actions, the plasma gun still held in her hands, he could feel a sincerity in that. He didn't trust her, not really, but he would let her look after him for a little while.

"Yes, leave me with the hot security lady. That would be nice." said Tony, seeming himself as ever.

"If anything happens, call me. And Tony? Behave." he threatened, placing a kiss to his cheek and a squeeze of his shoulders before heading down to medical to help.

* * *

"Behave. What does he think I am, twelve?" huffed the billionaire, poking at the PDA left next to him, trying to figure it out. He never understood how Nathan had dealt with these things, much less efficient than his own Stark tech. Tiny too.

"With your actions you might as well be." said Jo, she may be looking after the guy but she didn't have to like it.

"You wound me, Josefina." he said melodramatically, placing a hand to his forehead.

Jo had a feeling she wasn't going to enjoy this very much.


	4. In which Tony is Tony, Bruce is adorable, and Suspicions Arise

As soon as the two newcomers and Jo were through the door, Jack whirled towards Allison. 

 

"Stark had a brother?" he asked her, but she didn't answer, still looking shell shocked. 

 

"No. Well, I don't know." she said once she'd recovered slightly. "Nathan and his family were never close. I met his parents once but...never a brother." she said, her voice strained, and Jack felt his expression soften. He could only imagine the strain this was causing her. He reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers before turning to Henry. 

 

"What do you think?" 

 

The mayor gave a slight shrug. "Honestly, it's unprecedented. The fountain changing materials is one thing, but a new relationship like that, the odds are astronomically small!"

 

"But is it Eureka possible?" asked Jack, even though he already knew the answer. 

 

"In theory." 

 

"My two favorite words." he said sarcastically. "Well whatever the odds, it seems to be true. Think you can get us some more information? One surprise a day is enough." he said, though it was a little more than that. He may not believe Jo's mindset of threat, but anyone who came to this town on a whim was bound to be trouble. 

 

Immediately after he thought it, the world went dark. 

 

* * *

The darkness itself was not so bad, Jack realized when he looked back on it. Like a cloak thrown over the eyes for a few seconds. No, it was the reality they returned to that was so shaking. 

 

It was as if an earthquake had struck and Global Dynamics was the epicenter. Boxes of crates previously sitting calmly were now splintery wood carcasses, cracks permeated the roof, like the pencil-thin lines on an eggshell before it shattered. But the worst thing of all was the squealing, the shrieking of birds as they flew away, and though Jack didn't presume to be an expert on birds, they seemed panicked. 

 

However, while part of him was horrified by the catastrophic event, most of him had clicked into Sheriff mode. 

 

"Is everyone alright?" he asked, looking between Henry and Ally, still holding her hand. They both nodded, and Jack could see them slipping into Eureka catastrophe mode as well. 

 

"I need to go to medical. Henry, you find out what caused this. Carter, with me." said Allison, slipping her hand away, but he understood. Now wasn't the time. 

 

They rushed through the building to the medical bay, already stuffed with cases, medical staff flitting around like bees. One of the newcomers was there, the one with the doctorate, standing just outside the area and trying to take up as little space as possible. At the sight of them though, he briskly walked over. "Sheriff Carter. Dr...?"

 

"Blake." Allison provided. 

 

"Blake. Ms. Lupo said you could use some help. I leave myself to your service." he said, giving her a weak smile. 

 

"Where's Stark?" asked Carter, regretting it when he realized how the name was still linked to Nathan, green-blue eyes and a condescending smirk. 

 

"In Fargo's office, recovering." he said, the tone worried as he unconsciously peered back in the direction of said office. "Probably driving Ms. Lupo mad." he added, and that seemed to ease his fears slightly. 

 

"Good, I need to talk to my deputy. Are you good here?" he asked Allison, who nodded. 

 

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Nurse, what's the status?" she asked, Dr. Banner listening in as Jack walked away towards Fargo's office. 

 

When he arrived at the glass office, Jo was sitting on one of the chairs, plasma gun tucked over her lap, while Stark - Tony - was standing, surrounded on all sides by holographic screens flashing alphanumeric sequences and other science googlop. Jack noticed a bowl of water and blanket resting on the couch behind him, and the slight paleness to him that wasn't there before. 

 

"Please tell me the PDA doesn't do that too." he said to Jo, but it was Tony who answered. 

 

"Stark Cube." he said, holding up a small black box. "I should've gone private with this one. Would of made way more. Still, at least it does the Air Force some good." 

 

"So what are you doing?" he asked, and the man beamed. 

 

"Just trying to figure out what caused our little blackout. With Global, could be anything, but I have a hunch." 

 

"Which is?" he asked, trying to quell the feeling of unease in his gut that happened often before the science types told them what could destroy the world. 

 

"Temporal abnormalities between p-branes."

 

"You mean those alternate dimension thingys?" 

 

Tony muttered something that sounded like 'just like Clint' before responding. 

 

"Sort of. The way I figure, something here is pulling two parallel realities together. That brush was nothing compared to what will happen if it isn't fixed." 

 

"What'll happen then?" he asked, even though he knew he wouldn't like the answer. 

 

Tony shrugged. "I don't know. Theoretical physics is more of a hobby for me. Bruce is the expert." he said, evasively. 

 

"Stark." said Jo sharply, and he sighed. 

 

"Eventually, both realities would be torn apart atom by atom. What's odd about this isn't the collision though. Alternate universes brush by each other on a pretty regular basis without damage. No, something, or someone, is drawing them closer together. A foreign particle if you will." he said, and Jack and Jo shared a look. Could it be? Could it be their transfer had unbalanced the universe? Jo quirked a brow. This was Eureka. Of course it was.

 

Stark didn't miss the look. "You know something that could be doing this." he said. It wasn't a question. 

 

"Just a hunch." said Jack, turning to Jo again. "Let's go find Henry. He should know what to do about this."

 

But Jack can't help but feel those eyes burning into his back, knew without knowing that this Stark, like any Stark, wanted answers. And he'd find a way to get them. 

 


End file.
